Child-headed Households Research Articles

Child-headed Households: Techniques to lessen the detrimental Impacts of Poverty on Secondary School Students from Chimanimani District in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

The purpose of this study was to examine strategies to reduce the negative effects of poverty among learners from Child-headed Households. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was employed as the theoretical framework. The study used a qualitative research design. Thirty-two participants were purposefully selected. Interviews, focus groups and document analysis were employed as data collection tools. The study established that the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), supplementary feeding schemes, and income-generating projects were the main strategies which were employed to cushion secondary school learners from child-headed households. It is recommended that school administrators prioritise funding income-generating projects to help schools satisfy the psychological requirements of learners from child-headed households. This study adds to the body of knowledge about how adolescents from child-headed households experience academic success. In several sub-sectors of the Zimbabwean education sector, it expands understanding of the lived experiences of a sample of teenage students from low-income homes in Manicaland Province that has never before been investigated. The report makes a clear call to action for the Zimbabwean government to reconsider the BEAM support model in light of the insufficient funds now provided to learners and children ofchild-headed households. Keywords: Academic Success, Child-headed Households, Poverty, Psychological Development,Vulnerable groups

Exploring multifaceted impacts of El Niño driven drought on child-headed rural learners' well-being in drought-prone Chivi, Zimbabwe

The El Niño phenomenon has led to an increased frequency and intensity of droughts, posing significant challenges for rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. This qualitative case study examines the multifaceted impacts of El Niño-driven drought on the wellbeing of child-headed households and their educational outcomes in the drought-prone Chivi district of Zimbabwe. The current study aimed to understand how El Niño-induced drought affects the physical, emotional, and socioeconomic wellbeing of child-headed rural learners and how these impacts influence their educational experiences and outcomes. The central research question is: How do El Niño-driven droughts affect the wellbeing and educational trajectories of child-headed households in the Chivi district of Zimbabwe? This study adopted a qualitative research paradigm and a case study design. Fifteen participants were selected using purposive sampling, including young learners from child-headed households and adult community members. Data were collected through two focus group discussions, one with the young learners and another with the adult participants. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that El Niño-driven droughts exacerbate the vulnerabilities of child-headed households, leading to food insecurity, water scarcity, increased household responsibilities, and mental health challenges. These factors significantly undermine the learners' ability to engage in and succeed in their educational pursuits. The study recommends the implementation of targeted interventions, such as school-based feeding programmes and psychosocial support, to mitigate the adverse impacts of drought on child-headed rural learners.

A Review of Official Documents and Literature on the Forgotten Victims of Parental Incarceration in South Africa

This article is a literature synthesis of the living conditions of black children after their parent's imprisonment. In Africa, the prison population currently stands at 1,194,497, while in South Africa, 147,922 people were being held in correctional facilities as of January 2021. Parental incarceration has affected all children, regardless of race, age, or cultural background. An increasing amount of research indicates that children with incarcerated parents are prone to internalized behaviors such as depression, anxiety, and withdrawal, as well as externalized behaviors including criminality and substance use. They may also experience cognitive delays, academic struggles, and insecure attachments in their relationships with both their imprisoned parents and primary caregivers. The term "caregiver" denotes the individual who assumes the role of the child's main caregiver while the parents are incarcerated. It is important to note that the literature focusing on child-headed households in South African informal settlements and townships may be limited. This paper is a narrative synthesis of the literature review and uses secondary sources.

INEQUALIRY, ONLINE TEACHING AND QUALITY EDUCATION, “EXCLUDING THE EXCLUDED” IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEANING IN ZIMBABWE: HOW TO BUILD INCLUSIVE INSTITUTIONS?

The covid pandemic has been marked by negative outcomes locally, regionally and globally. The sudden closure of institutions of learning, copious teaching and learning dynamics emerged giving rise to dire demand for blended learning. The study explores the intersection of gender, socio-economic status, disability as well as online learning and how this impacted on vulnerable learners’ access to quality education during the pandemic and its aftermath. The paper was framed within the exclusion and social justice theoretical frameworks. The design was phenomenological, focusing on the lived experiences of vulnerable female, orphans, those living with disabilities and learners from low socio-economic status. Midlands State University and the vulnerable groups were purposively sampled. Key university informants were officers from information and technology services, the library, Quality Assurance and Professional Development, Disability Resource Centre, student affairs division respectively giving a total of 5 key informants. Focus group discussions were held with 6 orphans from child headed households, 5 male and 7 female students from low socio-economic status from both rural and urban areas and 14 students living with differing disabilities, giving a total of 32 participants. Selection from other vulnerable students beside those living with disabilities was based on voluntariness and the need for a gender matrix. Online teaching and learning created a digital access gap with the most vulnerable experiencing various types of exclusions. To achieve effective teaching and learning, the paper recommends inclusive pedagogies and sustainable learning frameworks that allow the achievement of SDG 4on equitable and inclusive education

Gender, materiality and culture: South African teachers’ accounts of sexual violence among primary school girls

This article explores the role of materiality in shaping primary school teachers’ understandings of girls’ risk to and experience of gender and sexual violence in a rural setting in South Africa. Drawing from photovoice and semi-structured individual interviews involving nine primary school teachers, the article illustrates the entanglement of space, living conditions, economic deprivation with gender and cultural norms that heighten girls’ vulnerability to sexual violence. The findings point to teachers’ knowledge of the cultural and socio-material realties that produces girls’ sexual risk. Teachers drew attention to the poverty, child-headed households, family distress that increased vulnerability to sexual risk. Furthermore, teachers directed attention to the failure to report rape within families linking it to fear, shame and financial dependency on the perpetrator. The article concludes with reflections on the vital role of teachers in addressing sexual violence in a context where girls’ voices are often silenced.

Intervention Strategies for Challenges Experienced when Supporting Learners from Child-headed Households in Secondary Schools in South Africa

The study reported here aimed to explore the Intervention strategies for challenges experienced when supporting learners from child-headed households in secondary schools. Children from child-headed households experience challenges that hinder them from receiving good quality education. It is, therefore important for schools to ensure that classroom teachers are aware of the challenges experienced by children from child-headed households. This study followed the qualitative approach to explore the intervention strategies to be used. The study consisted of 20 participants (principals, Departmental Heads, teachers and School Governing Bodies) in South Africa. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The Bottom-up theory was the underpinning theory for our study. Thematical analysis was followed. This study revealed that children from child-headed households were not identified at schools. Therefore, schools do not have a database of children from child-headed households hence a lack of intervention strategies. We recommended that schools should establish the School Based Support Team and follow the collaborative model as an intervention to support children from child-headed households. The study provided insights on intervention strategies that schools and the Department of Education should implement for challenges experienced by schools when supporting learners from child-headed households. Keywords: Intervention Strategies, Collaborative Model, Child-Headed Household, Collaboration

Management Strategies to the Behavioural Challenges of Learners from Child Headed Households as an Optimum Approach to Nurturing a Child-Friendly Learning Environment

Student behaviour management is one of the contemporary problems faced by managers of schools. This study explored how school principals address behavioural challenges of orphaned learners for positive outcome. Using qualitative approach, purposive sampling was used to select eight principals whose schools had a visible population of learners from child headed households who exhibited behavioural challenges. Data was collected using unstructured focus group interviews to encourage spontaneity and in-depth discussions. Focus group interviews were used to collect data to allow for spontaneity and in-depth conversations with respondents. The results showed that most of the intervention strategies employed by the principals in schools did not generate restorative learner behaviour. It was also revealed that most of the behavioural management strategies were not effective since undisciplined learners who returned from suspensions often repeated similar behaviours that got them suspended. From the inadequate managerial skills on orphaned learners’ behavioural challenges revealed by the study, it is recommended that school managers need staff development on how to implement restorative disciplinary approaches on learner management.
 
 Received: 11 November 2022 / Accepted: 24 November 2023 / Published: 5 January 2024

Teachers’ Experiences with Learners from Child-Headed Households: Eastern Cape Teachers’ Voices of Despair

Child-headed households (CHHs) phenomenon is evident in South Africa and stretches beyond our borders and across the globe. Among the contributory factors are socio-economic conditions, HIV/AIDS pandemic, migration, and abandonment to mention a few. This study sought to explore the lived experiences of teachers who teach learners from CCHs. The researchers used Bronfenbrenner’s theory as the lens to interrogate the interaction between the teachers and learners from CHHs. This was a qualitative study underpinned by interpretivism paradigm to gain an in-depth experiences ofteachinglearners from CHHthrough semi-structuredinterviews.As a case study, the researchers identified and constructed appropriate daily experiences of teachers of learners from CHH in Duncan Village, East London, South Africa. Four (4) teachers from three Duncan Village schools were purposively selected.The collected data was categorised and thematically analysed. Thestudy found that the learners from CHH experienced persistent deprivation of necessities and school resources Deprivation led to these learners to lack concentration in classand poor academic performance, just mention a few. Therefore, this study concluded that schoolsand teachersasmicro-systemsneed to be empowered and be sensitive, welcoming, and accommodating to the learners from CHHs. Basedon these findings, this study recommends schools to establish functional school-based support teams of teachers to look at the welfare of the learners from CCHs, by providingpsycho-social support. Furthermore, recommends a collaborative engagement with various stakeholders to act in the best interest of the child.

Developmental Challenges Faced by Adolescent Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Chimanimani District in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

Background: African communities established strong family support systems because they considered children as the future of their civilizations and an essential component of humankind. The family structure in Zimbabwe has changed as a result of the severe effects of pandemic diseases and the country’s economic collapse from 2009 to 2022. In Zimbabwe, children were often expected to be cared for by adults and community members closest to their immediate family. The inquiry is based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory. Aims: The study investigated the psychosocial consequences of poverty on rural Zimbabwean learners from child-headed households who are lagging behind in their learning. The study also target to generate recommendations based on the research findings. Sample: Through purposive sampling, a sample of 32 research participants comprising 16 learners, eight teachers, four school administrators and four members of the School Development Committees was selected. The sample members were in one way or the other connected to the issues regarding the challenges experienced by secondary school learners from child-headed families. Methods: The study was qualitative in nature. The phenomenological research design, which was couched in an interpretive research paradigm, was employed. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. Results: It emerged from the study that learners from child-headed homes found it exceedingly difficult to support their daily needs. Children in such homes lack a sense of childhood security and are subjected to emotional, social, and psychological stress. The majority of learners’ obligations are handled at home, putting them vulnerable to social isolation, poverty, and the formation of an atmosphere that does not support academic brilliance. Conclusion: In light of the research findings, it was concluded that communities, instructors, and peers be mindful of treating learners from child-headed households with dignity because they are human beings and resources for the nation. They should avoid cultural perspectives that increase marginalization and segregation of these learners.

SOCIAL WORKERS’ VIEWS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LEGISLATION THAT GUIDES SERVICE DELIVERY TO CHILD-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS

The National Plan of Action (Department of Social Development, 2021) identified child-headed households (CHHs) as an increasing social problem in South Africa. Section 150 of the Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 (Republic of South Africa [RSA], 2005), and the Children’s Amendment Act, 41 of 2007 (RSA, 2007), consider children living in CHHs as children in need of care and protection, and give guidelines on services to these households. Currently, there is no certainty about the successful implementation of these guidelines to address the needs of this target group. This study, therefore, used a qualitative research approach with semi-structured interviews with social workers to investigate their views on applying section 137 of Children’s Amendment Act, 41 of 2007 (RSA, 2007). This study found that there were gaps to address in the social work services provided to CHHs and the implementation of the Act. Some of the main recommendations included continued training and research on the implementation of the Act. Keywords: child-headed households, guidelines, legislation, service delivery, social workers

The Dual Burden: Adolescent Learners in Child-Headed Households and Their Battle for Academic Achievement in Secondary Schools in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

The Dual Burden: Adolescent Learners in Child-Headed Households and Their Battle for Academic Achievement in Secondary Schools in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

Effects of Poverty on the Educational Attainment of Adolescent Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Chimanimani District, Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of poverty on the educational attainment of adolescent orphans and vulnerable children in Chimanimani District, Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe. The contention of the study is that African communities establish strong family support systems because they consider children as the future of their survival. In Zimbabwe, children are often expected to be cared for by their immediate family members and community members close to their immediate family. In this study, qualitative research approaches were employed to explored effects of poverty on learners from households with children as primary caregivers. Using qualitative study approach, the study purposively sampled learners, teachers and parents from Chimanimani District. A qualitative phenomenological methodology was used to conduct interviews, focus group interviews, and document analysis. The study used Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory lenses to understand the phenomena understudy. It was discovered that learners from parentless homes lack a sense of childhood security and are subjected to emotional, social, and psychological stress. The study recommends that communities, instructors, and peers treat learners from child-headed households with dignity and avoid marginalization and segregation of these learners.

Academic Challenges Faced by Adolescent Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe

This study examined the academic challenges faced by adolescent orphans and vulnerable learners from child-headed households attending secondary schools in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province. Learners from homes without parents are becoming more and more prevalent, but no one has yet taken notice of them. Using Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of human learning as the theoretical lens, the researchers scrutinized the phenomenon. Thirty participants were chosen from four secondary schools in the Chimanimani District for the qualitative research study. In-depth data about the academic challenges faced by adolescents who are orphans and vulnerable children was generated through focus group interviews. The thematic approach was employed in the analysis of data and invaluable themes were identified. Ultimately, the study’s conclusions were as follows; facilitators and learners need constant motivation, parents can help supervise learners’ work, and teachers should have access to professional development opportunities. The results indicate that in order to guarantee high-quality instruction, guidance and counseling teachers should receive support and opportunity for ongoing professional development. By utilizing learner-centered methodologies, the teaching and learning process should integrate learners’ real-world experiences to improve the learners’ comprehension of the learning materials covered in class.

Exploring the Emotional Well-being and School Experiences of Pupils in Child-Headed Households in Selected Secondary Schools of Kabwe District in Zambia

This qualitative study explores the emotional well-being and school experiences of pupils residing in child-headed households in secondary schools in Kabwe district, Zambia. Adopting a phenomenological approach, the research aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the challenges and resilience exhibited by this vulnerable demographic. Through focus group discussions with participants from diverse backgrounds, the study delves into the factors influencing emotional well-being, the impact on academic performance, perceptions of school-based support, and the day-to-day challenges faced by pupils. The findings underscore the intricate relationship between emotional well-being and the secondary school context, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions and enhanced support systems. Recommendations include research and knowledge sharing, policy advocacy and implementation, mental health and well-being initiatives, and enhancing school-based support services. By shedding light on the lived experiences of pupils in child-headed households, this research contributes to the discourse on inclusive education and advocates for holistic support systems that empower and uplift students facing complex family dynamics.

Structural, Familial, and Psychosocial Factors Affecting Long-Term Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence amongst Adolescents Living with Perinatally Acquired HIV in Limpopo, South Africa.

After more than two decades of the expansion of antiretroviral treatment (ART) in adolescents living with perinatal HIV (APHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa, there is still poorly sustained long-term adherence to ART due to multifactorial factors with the consequence of increased mortality and morbidity. There are little data available on the familial and structural factors which affect sustenance to long-term adherence to ART. A qualitative exploratory design was used to conduct in-depth interviews with 21 APHIV attending HIV care and management in the rural health facilities of Vhembe district in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Transcripts were translated verbatim into English, and data were analyzed using Tesch's eight steps of qualitative data analysis. The sample consisted of APHIV 10-19 years old who were aware of their HIV status, and all had received ART for more than 5 years. They lived in extended, disrupted, grandparent- and child-headed households. They experienced food insecurities due to poverty or orphanhood, as well as living in disrupted households, which deterred them from long-term adherence. In addition, dependency on social support grants to sustain their livelihoods affected long-term adherence. APHIV had challenges with structural factors such as inconsistent clinic attendance, clashes between school activities and clinic appointments, and the lack of transport fare to the clinic, which affected adherence. Although APHIV were on one-pill fixed-dose ART, they were not able to sustain long-term adherence due to various familial, structural, and psychosocial challenges. In addition to institution-based interventions, there is a need for family, community-based, and multi-sectorial interventions to support long-term ART adherence among APHIV.

Through Filmic Lenses: The Social Impact of HIV/AIDS on the Orphaned Girl Child in Zimbabwe

Millions of children worldwide have become orphaned for many reasons such as war, famine, displacement, disease, and poverty. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has drastically altered the world children live in. It has led to many children becoming orphans worldwide. An orphan, according to the World Vision, is a child younger than 18 years who has lost either one biological, foster or adoptive parent or both biological, foster or adoptive parents. The Sunday Mail of 12 November 2017 carried a story in which the United Nations International Children’s Fund reported that 17.8 million children worldwide have lost both parents (double orphan), with 153 million having lost one parent (single orphan). The United Nations International Children’s Fund, furthermore, reported that in Zimbabwe there were close to 2 million orphans, with an estimated 3 900 orphans being raised in orphanages. The social roles, rights and privileges of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS have ultimately become disrupted particularly in child-headed households. Guided by the media reflection hypothesis coupled with a qualitative content approach, this article critically examines Everyone’s Child, a Zimbabwean feature film directed by Tsitsi Dangarembga in 1996, to discuss some of the social impacts of HIV/AIDS on the orphaned girl child in Zimbabwe. Films play an important role in society. They act as reflectors or mirrors of society; therefore, this article argues that the film Everyone’s Child reflects back to society which challenges are faced by children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in child-headed families in Zimbabwe. The absence of biological parents therefore makes the life of orphans stressful and affects their well-being negatively.

Strategic Leadership Policy Strategies to Optimize Justice and Equity for Children of Child-Headed Households

Systemic inequalities pervade our education systems worldwide. No time, like the present, is more apt for school principals to thwart inequalities and ensure that quality is infused in all classrooms and permeates the entire schooling system. This article contributes to the paper on how school principals may utilize their strategic leadership role to enhance the socially just experiences of learners in child-headed households (CHHs). The aim is to investigate and counter justice and equity violations of learners in CHHs, from the perspective of social action leadership theory (SALT) with the help of deconstruction of texts in the Children’s Act, Policy on the South African Standard for Principals, and Revised White Paper on Families. The findings call attention to the human agency role of the principal to resist oppression in schools and promote equity and achieve justice and equity for learners in CHHs. Implications for a just strategic leadership plan to advance anti-oppressive practices for CHHs are shared. This article recommends that principals consider the recommended strategies to advance equity, enact human agency, and perform social justice to counter justice violations and prevent inequalities in school systems in their quest to realize equitable societies.

Social crime prevention in South Africa: A neglected policy mandate

This article examines municipalities on implementation and coordination of social crime prevention programmes in addressing social issues. The White Paper on Safety and Security (1998) clearly proposed that local government should be responsible for implementing and coordinating social crime prevention programmes within areas of concern. Therefore, it is argued that the provincial government is closest to citizens and inimitably placed to contribute to social crime prevention initiatives and readdress the delivery of services to deal with crime prevention successfully. There is little information about this matter in South Africa. This article will reveal the challenges municipalities and the department of social development face on social issues. There seems to be a repetition of social programmes in addressing social issues and there are no programmes targeting youth at risk, juvenile delinquency and child-headed households’ issues. The study concludes that the municipalities should consider the review in social crime prevention strategies to better align its programmes to the provincial mandates. Municipalities should further demonstrate regularly how it responds to social issues that might perpetuate the crime rate.

Forced Displacement and Violence Against Children in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement

This study sought to examine the impact of forced displacement on violence against children. Forced displacement relates to the coerced movement of persons because of either natural or manmade disaster, while violence against children refers to the deliberate usage of physical force or power, either threatened or actual, on oneself, another child or a group of children with resultant impact on the child’s physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. The study was guided by three objectives which included examining the causes of violence against children in the Bidibidi refugee settlement, examining the forms of violence against children in the Bidibidi Refugee settlement, and examining the effectiveness of existing mechanisms to prevent and respond to violence against children in Bidibidi Refugee settlement. In this study, the researcher adopted mixed-method research where both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. The researcher also applied descriptive research to carry out the study. The population of the study was 283,000 from which a sample of 399 was arrived at using the Slovene formula for sample size determination. Respondents were sampled through stratified sampling technique for the survey respondents and purposive sampling for the Key informants. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview guides and focused group discussion guides and was analysed using mean and standard deviation. The study found out that VAC is happening in Bidibidi and is being influenced by several factors including separation of children from parents, lack of livelihood opportunities for caregivers, and lack of awareness raising on child rights. The study further found that unaccompanied children (UACs) in foster care, child-headed households, and adolescent girls are the main categories of children at heightened risk of sexual, physical, and emotional violence.

Seeking to live more peacefully with painful histories

In this interview, Chaste Uwihoreye describes his work with young people in Rwanda, from collective truth-telling conversations to supporting child-headed households in ways that foster, rather than undermine, children’s leadership. Chaste draws on Rwandan songs, poems and proverbs as forms of cultural acknowledgement and comfort in workshops with very large groups of young people. These workshops begin with a ‘story gifting’ process that acknowledges what has happened to the young people and their families, and at the same time creates new stories about ways of living together with difficult histories. Metaphoric practices are described, including an umbrella exercise in which people depict the problems they are facing in the present as rain, and the skills and knowledges that they use to face these problems as a protective umbrella. Memories are transformed into a ‘usable past’ that can be used to generate songs, poems or artworks. Possession of these tangible forms provides options for action: whether to share a song, burn a poem or keep a drawing. Chaste describes solidarity camps (Ingando) in which young people can be together and witness each other’s suffering and strength, and be trained and supported to facilitate group work with other young people. In the shadow of genocide, Chaste shares the hopeful collective work of remembering painful histories in ways that enable people to act and to live good lives in the present.